Businessmen Seek Signs On I-78 Federal Standards Present Roadblock

From a business standpoint, Robert Gilman would like PennDOT to erect a sign along Interstate 78 that points the way to his Lost River Caverns.

But unless the tourist attraction meets state and federal requirements, Gilman won't get his sign. Nor will some hotels, restaurants and other Lehigh Valley attractions.

Nearly 50 people who think much like Gilman, met at Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton Airport yesterday with three state Department of Transportation officials. The Lehigh Valley Convention & Visitors Bureau organized the meeting after fielding complaints about I-78 signs from its members. Those who attended represented colleges, city governments, hotels, restaurants, banks, industries and chambers of commerce.

PennDOT community relations coordinator James Bergmaier said the District 5 staff would consider their suggestions but could promise nothing because the Federal Highways Administration regulates the signs. Nearly 90 percent of the cost of building the interstate came from the federal government.

The suggestions ranged from improving the signs on the west end of I-78 in Fogelsville, where it breaks with Route 22, to posting signs along the New Jersey portion of the interstate pointing the way to A-B-E Airport.

Tourist attractions such as Lost River Caverns must meet certain criterion before a sign can be erected, said Austin Cyphers, assistant traffic engineer for District 5. Distance from the highway and the number of annual visitors are among the requirements, he said.

Signs bearing the names of restaurants, service stations and hotels are regulated by the Pennsylvania Travel Council, according to David Earp, District 5 traffic engineer.

Each business must also meet certain requirements. For example, hotels must be located within 2 miles of the highway, have no fewer than 25 rooms and maintain certain business hours, he said.

Other portions of the highway are confusing motorists, judging from the calls that PennDOT has been receiving.

If they're not alert, motorists traveling east on Route 22 near Fogelsville may find themselves on the wrong road. But it won't be for lack of signs, Bergmaier said.

Three signs posted in a one-mile stretch alert motorists to the split of I-78 and Route 22, he said. Yet many are finding themselves heading southeast on I-78/Route 309 instead of on Route 22.

Bergmaier speculated that those getting lost are not out-of-town motorists but Lehigh Valley residents who, after years of driving straight down Route 22 toward Allentown without the need for signs, are unaccustomed to the new configuration in that area. Motorists continuing east on Route 22 must bear right and travel over I-78, which begins angling south.

Motorists unfamiliar with the area are more likely to follow signs closely, and hence have little difficulty there, Bergmaier said.

Allen D. Divers, an A-B-E official, said the airport receives daily calls from New Jersey residents who can't find the airport from I-78. Studies indicate that the number of New Jersey residents using A-B-E is growing, Divers said. He urged PennDOT to contact New Jersey transportation officials about erecting signs in that state.

State Sen. Jeanette F. Reibman, D-18th District, said signs at the west end of I-78 should list the airport, Bethlehem and Easton, not just Allentown. Bergmaier said Allentown is listed because it is one of the state's few "control cities," the term given to cities that appear on signs as major destination points. Harrisburg, Philadelphia and New York City are control cities that appear on signs along major highways in the area.

Reibman suggested that the Route 22 sign also could include a list of exit roads that can be accessed from the highway, such as the Pennsylvania Turnpike, Route 33 and Route 512. The interstate already includes a list of exit numbers.

Earp said PennDOT would consider adding additional city names to the signs, including the word bypass to denote I-78 as a bypass around Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton. Cyphers cautioned, however, that the size of highway signs are regulated, therefore only so many words can be used.

State Rep. Paul McHale, D-133rd District, also attended the meeting, as did representatives from the offices of state Rep. Karen Ritter, D-131st District; Rep. William C. Rybak, D-135th District; and Rep. Donald W. Snyder, R-134th District.

While agreeing to consider their suggestions, Bergmaier said nothing could be promised because the signs are regulated by the FHA. He said the District 5 office is preparing a list of proposed changes it will send to the federal government.